Homeopathy for dogs
Bailey, the 11-year-old yellow lab of a friend of mine, had been suffering for some time from an increasingly worsening, large ulcer on the right side of her face. The ulcer looked like a crater and was about an inch inch across. This is also referred to as a 'punched out' appearance when talking about skin conditions. The base of the ulcer was necrotic, which means that the tissue was dying off.
 
There was a slight yellow moist discharge on it. Bailey had already received antibiotics but was not responding well and was supposedly develping blood poisoning and kidney failure from the infection acording to her vet. She had stopped eating and was barealy moving at this point. The prognosis was grim and the family was getting ready to say their good-byes to their dear friend.
 
As I was visiting my friend and examining the dog I recalled a photo in the dermatology textbook we had used in naturopathic college. Now, dermatology textbooks are not for the faint of stomach and I recalled the initial revulsion when we had to study this topic. However, after a few months I was able to eat my lunch while studying photos of various skin infections, warts, tumours and other delicacies. One page had stuck in my mind - that of the face of an older woman with late-stage syphilis. There was a large, crater-like, punched out lesion on her face. Late stage syphilis can develop between 2-60 years after the initial infection and can manifest in the skin, the cardiovascular system and central nervous system.
 
Well, the central idea in homeopathy is that like cures like, or rather, that a substance which can create a certain state in a healty organism may be able to cure that state in one who already has the correlating symptoms. Now I can't say that Bailey had syphilis, but the ulcer she had looked just like the one from the textbook, so, as we had nothing to lose, we gave the dog a dose of homeopathic syphilis, 200 CH. In homeopathy we have many remedies made from diseases and although this may not sound appealing, the development of vaccinations actually originated from this use of diluted disease material in homeopathy. Homeopathically such remedies may be used preventatively, or after the fact, so to speak. For example, I have seen numerous patients who had not recovered well after a bad flu over the years return to health after taking Influenzinum, a homeopathic remedy made from the flu virus.
 
Within three days of starting the homeopathic syphilis remedy Bailey's health turned around. She also received some additional care after this from a naturopathic vet who gave her supplements and a diet change, but the homeopathic remedy no doubt started her recovery. The ulcer healed completely, Bailey lived for another three years and her owner was so impressed by the event that she decided to become a naturopathic doctor and is now a dear colleague of mine!